Standard Grade History

The Standard Grade History course is divided into three units:

Unit IB: Changing Life in Scotland and Britain 1830’s-1930’s

This unit looks at how life in Scotland and Britain changed over the century by focusing on certain aspects of life at the time, such as: population growth and movement; health and housing in the towns and the improvements made to these areas; changes in farming; the expansion of the railways; developments in coal mining and finally the growth of democracy with a particular focus on the women’s suffrage campaign.

Video – Why women won the vote?

Unit IIA: International Cooperation and Conflict 1890’s-1920’s

This unit focuses in on WWI. Looking at the international build up of tension and how these factors contributed to the outbreak of war in 1914. Pupils then go on to look at the war itself, the conditions endured by soldiers on the Western front, the types of new weaponry that was being used and how the trench system worked. They will also see how the war was fought at home with women taking on many traditionally ‘male’ roles. The suffering at home leads them into the end of the war where they will investigate the post war peace settlements through the Treaty of Versailles and the set up of the League of Nations.

Unit IIID: Germany 1918-1939

This unit follows on nicely from the end of the war as they continue to look at the very harsh punishment inflicted upon Germany at the end of WWI and how this leads to desperate times in Germany, allowing for an extremist dictator, Adolf Hitler, to rise to power. Pupils study Hitler’s Germany through his treatment of the Jews; the changes to education; the changes he makes to the Church in Germany; the set up of youth groups like the Hitler Youth; Hitler’s use of intimidation and fear as well as his use of propaganda and militarism.